With Pokemon Sword and Shield receiving major DLC packs and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team getting a remake next month, there has evidently never been a better time to be a Pokemon fan. The franchise keeps expanding every single year, and alongside that, its roster of colorful pocket monsters grows too. However, it seems a fan vote has finally decided which Pokemon deserve the honor of being heralded the best in the franchise.
Collected for Pokemon Day by Google, the official Pokemon YouTube channel has revealed who has been crowned the top 10 Pokemon of the year through a vote that included 6.6 million fans. The picks are interesting, as the series' mascot and general face of the franchise, Pikachu, is nowhere to be seen.
Starting from 10, fans opted for Gengar, the poison/ghost type Pokemon first introduced in Generation 1. Its been a series mainstay since Pokemon first began, and no doubt deserves an incredibly high spot in the rankings. Number 9 is Gardevoir, a generation 3 Pokemon. It's both a psychic/fairy type that has proven incredibly popular in both the games and the anime. Rayquaza comes in at eight and Garchomp in seventh, with the former being a legendary flying/dragon type and the latter being a psudeo-legendary ground/dragon type.
10. Gengar
9. Gardevoir
8. Rayquaza
7. Garchomp
6. Sylveon
5. Umbreon
4. Charizard
3. Mimikyu
2. Lucario
1. Greninja
Coming in at sixth is Slyveon, the popular generation 6 fairy type Pokemon. Although its a more recent addition to the roster, it's undoubtedly become incredibly popular with fans to secure such a high ranking. Umbreon takes fifth and Charizard takes fourth, with both the dark type and the fire type clearly resonating deeply with players. In a surprising placement, Mimikyu takes the bronze medal in third, with the Pikachu copy cat translating its loving support online into an incredibly high position on the list. It's a ghost/fairy type and made its debut in the Pokemon Sun and Moon titles.
Second place is swept up by the popular Lucario, the iconic fighting/steel type Pokemon introduced in generation 4. The pocket monster is undeniably a big name on the roster with Lucario even making the transition to other games, so it's not hard to see why it made the list. Yet, the Pokemon was toppled by Greninja, who took first place. The popular water/dark type has evidently found a surge of popularity this year, becoming Google's Pokemon of the Year and beating out a number of incredibly popular faces to do so. No doubt fans of the aquatic Pokemon will now be more excited than ever to play as Greninja when Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX launches next month.